The British Museum Reading Room, May 1907 1907

Editor: Sir Muirhead Bone’s "The British Museum Reading Room, May 1907" shows the iconic space under construction. It's all scaffolding and labor. What strikes you about Bone's depiction? Curator: The print foregrounds the labor of building, the materiality of the Reading Room itself. Bone highlights the consumption of resources, the sheer effort required to realize architectural ambition. How does this challenge traditional notions of art? Editor: I see your point. It’s not just about the finished architecture, but also the process and the workers. Thanks. Curator: Precisely. It asks us to consider the social context embedded in every seemingly grand edifice.